Moving from Windows to Mac

[theducks]

If you used Export, they you use IMPORT not any way else (Add, repair...) It starts on the same menu item you found Export

[Comfy.n]

random suggestion, because I recall vaguely some incident I had in the past... and I then had to create a dummy library just to get things working in some import/export procedure:

1) Create a new empty library in any location, name it Templib, for instance;
2) Switch to that empty new library;
3) Run the import tool from within that empty library "Templib", I mean, whilst that new empty library is active, proceed to picking the same paths as you did before

somehow that worked for me back then

[CharlierlieNewby]

Originally Posted by ownedbycats

Restore database is a bit misnamed; it looks for OPF files in the book folders then rebuilds the db based on the data in them. As long as the OPFs are in there, it should be fine. (I'm not sure whether books without OPFs are ignored or deleted.)

Thanks.
In that case can I use the “add books” feature of Calibre to get the library back onto the original windows 8 computer ? At the moment, following unsuccessful attempts to export/import, all my books are in a folder “Calibre Library “ but not on main Calibre interface (if that’s correct name).
If so I could then download the same version of Calibre to windows 8 as is available for my new MacBook. And then try the export/import feature again to migrate from windows 8 to MacBook.
Or is there a better way please?

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by CharlierlieNewby

Thanks. Whilst I’m not good with technology I’m sure I used Calibre export/import.

Two photos of what happened when I tried to find the library.

Also looked at Library Maintenance where there is option to “restore database” but was afraid to click ok in case I lost all the books in the library!

Given that you are attaching your images, it would help if they were large enough to actually read the text.

[JSWolf]

It's a lot easier to just copy the library as is to the new computer/drive.

[ownedbycats]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

It's a lot easier to just copy the library as is to the new computer/drive.

I moved my library by taking the hard drive out of my old computer and installing it in the new one.

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by ownedbycats

I moved my library by taking the hard drive out of my old computer and installing it in the new one.

Works with Windows to Linux, but not with Windows to Mac.
I've also put computer #1's HDD temporarily in an USB case to copy to computer #2, but I seem to remember Mac needed extra SW to read NTFS, and ages ago even Fat32. Linux host no problem.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Quoth

Works with Windows to Linux, but not with Windows to Mac.
I've also put computer #1's HDD temporarily in an USB case to copy to computer #2, but I seem to remember Mac needed extra SW to read NTFS, and ages ago even Fat32. Linux host no problem.

What can be done is network the two computers and copy the libraries and settings that way

[Quoth]

Yes, but even with 1 Gbps LAN a USB adaptor case on a removed SATA drive is faster.
I've had a LAN in the house since about 1994 and long ago even had DOS PCs networked to an NT 3.51 server (Really an old AST 386 PC).
We've had CheaperNet coax, Token Ring and then a switch 10/100 Cat5 entirely from 1998.

We've had 1 Gbps with a managed switch for a while.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Quoth

Yes, but even with 1 Gbps LAN a USB adaptor case on a removed SATA drive is faster.
I've had a LAN in the house since about 1994 and long ago even had DOS PCs networked to an NT 3.51 server (Really an old AST 386 PC).
We've had CheaperNet coax, Token Ring and then a switch 10/100 Cat5 entirely from 1998.

We've had 1 Gbps with a managed switch for a while.

It's safer to network the two computers then it is to remove the HD from the Windows system.

But if you do want to move the HD to the MAC, here's what you need.

https://iboysoft.com/ntfs-for-mac/fr...s-for-mac.html

[theducks]

Originally Posted by Quoth

Yes, but even with 1 Gbps LAN a USB adaptor case on a removed SATA drive is faster.
I've had a LAN in the house since about 1994 and long ago even had DOS PCs networked to an NT 3.51 server (Really an old AST 386 PC).
We've had CheaperNet coax, Token Ring and then a switch 10/100 Cat5 entirely from 1998.

We've had 1 Gbps with a managed switch for a while.

The advantage of a LAN (wired connection) is you don't have to do 2 writes (one to the media, then 1 to the new system. Writes are the slowest as they read after write to verify the block was good.
Same here. a Cat5 Lan since 1990 with' a Netware 4.2 serer in the corner back then. Console? We don't need no stinkn console.. They just run. (the console monitor was on a KVM, that I did switch over to weekly. As I said. It just ran, while friends with NT were rebuilding

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by theducks

The advantage of a LAN (wired connection) is you don't have to do 2 writes (one to the media, then 1 to the new system. Writes are the slowest as they read after write to verify the block was good.

I'm confused. Any high level copy on a sensible FS checks it has written? LAN has extra overhead of Network stack. Maybe DOS and FATxx on Win95 and earlier doesn't bother.

I've copied using dd also (handy to copy partition layout), but you need a filesystem check after.

An IDE - SATA adaptor direct to MoBo will beat most IDE or SATA in USB cases.

SATA SSD are a lot slower than NVMe SSD.

I do copy my Calibre library over the LAN in its exported form.

[theducks]

I have moved/copied Libraries before via a few different media:
USB flash make the neighbors Tortoise look speedy (it can take almost an hour)
A USB external disk is a lot better
But a copy over a wired network is limited by the targets ability to write files.

Remember LapLink cables ? They beat sneaker net (3.5 floppies) in their day.

[Quoth]

USB disks and adapator for USB drives vary HUGELY in speed even on same USB2.0 host.
My "official" sold as a USB HDD is about 1/4 speed of my 2.5" 500 GByte SATA drives in a USB box. The 1T drives and video drives are an inbetween speed. My LAN is indeed faster than most USB flash or the Seagate "sold as a USB" HDD.
uSD & USB sticks vary dramatically in read speed and are much slower to write to. Sadly some budget laptops sold as SSD are using the same Flash chips as in SD cards!

Full size cards can fit 2 chips of size that fits in micro SD, hence the bleeding edge is x2 capacity.

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by theducks

I
But a copy over a wired network is limited by the targets ability to write files..

And source HDD speed
And other stuff.